Pulverulent copper sulphate and process of producing same



Patented Sept. 1, 1925.

umrso STATES 1,551,867 PATENT OFFICE.

LESTER A. norms, or SANTA-CLARA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 'ro sen JOSE srnayMFG.- oo., oFsAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, A conromrcron or CALIFORNIA.

PULVERULENT COPPER SULPHATE AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING SAME.

No Drawing,

To/a'ZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, LESTER A. BUNDS, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Santa Clara, county of Santa Clara, and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pulverulent Copei' Sulphate and Processes of Producing ame.

Myinventionhas for its object a preparation of copper sulphate as apowder which will retain its pulverulent condition free fromagglomeration or lumping thus attaining a commercial articlemost'readily soluble and particularly adapted to the mixing ofinsecticides, fungicides, etc., as for example that employed in the wellknown Bordeaux mixture.

Copper sulphate prepared by my method is most easily transported andhandled and available for quickly mixing into solutions prior to use. v

The difliculty heretofore experienced has been othat cop er sulphatehowever finel it might be-pow ered or carefully prepared in advance hasbeen subject almost immediately thereafter .to' agglomeration into largemasses, and especially so when'brought into contact with water. It hasthus been very difficult vto dissolve in any quantity with or withoutthe lime mixtures ordinarily em ployed in spra ing. p

, Copper sulp ate prepared in'accordance with my method is finelygroundand during or'immediately followin the grinding there isincorporated therewlth a sufficient amount of an inert powder, as talcor the like, whereby the particles of copper sulphate are coatedsufiiciently to hold them separate fromeach other, thus preventing theirsubsequent agglomeration. in order to secure the coati igof eachparticle of copper sulphate in any given mass, it is necessary to firstseparate these particles and then inject the tale or, any other inertpowder therebetween, and thoroughly coat the articles of copper sulphatewith the pow er. This I prefer to accomplish as follows: v In order toeffect a proportionate feed of talc and copper sulphate into thegrinding and mixing chamber, the required amount of talcis firstthoroughly hand mixed with the copper sulphate on a mixing floor. Theresulting mixture is then fed lnto the grinder or disintegrator. Herethe cyclone Application filed December 17, 1923* Serial No. 681,086.

chamber they pass ably in a relatively strong current of air,

into an expansion chamber where the par ticles of talc .and coppersulphate are given a gentle rotating and rolling motion. I It is herethat the relatively large particles of crystalline copper sulphate areactually rolled in talc thus effecting a thorough coating of eachparticle and producing a bluestone powder which is without tendency toharden, pack or ball up.

In this way the talc is brought into contact with every particle of thecopper sulphate surfaces so that each particle is separated by the talefrom every other particle, resulting in a 'mixtureof bluestone powderwhich is without tendency toharden either during subsequent handling,transporting or mixing and is easily soluble.

If aninert powder other than talc be used, I have found it advisablethat it be chosen with respect to its solubility which in each caseshould be less than that of copper sul- I 'phate and it must be of anonhygroscopic nature and free from any impurities having hygroscopicqualities.

. The final mixture will then consist at all times of copper sulphateparticles separated from each other by foreign dry and inert particleswhereby when water is added for the final solution it most readilyreaches eyery particle of the copper and the greatest solubility of thecopper sulphate in the mixture will be retained.

Reference is herein made to my co-pending application No. 23,026, filedApril 14, 1925.

I claim: a 1. The method of preparing a readily soluble copper sulphatemixed withan inert substance which consists in grinding the inertsubstance to a finer mesh than the copper sulphate and then blowing thecopper sulphate and the substance through a tube whereby the particlesof copper sulphate are separated from each other and the substance isadmitted between the surfaces of the copper sulphate particles.

2. The method of preparing a readily are separated from each other andthe sub- .gso'luble copper sulphate mlxed with an inert stance isadmitted between the surfaces of whereby the particles of coppersulphate substance which consists in grinding the the copper sulphateparticles and thereafter 10 :inert substance to a finer mesh than thecopagitatm the mixture whereby the substance per sulphate and thenblowing the copper is cause to adhere between the particles of sulphateand the substance through a tube copper sulphate.

- 7 LESTER A. BUNDS.

